The Human Touch 2013 - University of Colorado Denver

Nobody’s Pregnant, Nobody’s Dying [Continued]
lasted eight hours, longer than expected, but that’s because they found a cystic
mass on the spleen. They attributed the mass to coincidence and thought it was
unrelated to the cancer. My dad was terrifi ed when he heard the word “mass,” but I
was able to explain that the word “cystic” was a good thing. It was therapeutic to
play the role of liaison between the health care provider and the husband who knew
little about medicine.
My mom was roomed on the fi fth fl oor of a small hospital in Salem, Oregon. For
the next week, this would be my home. I spent every hour with her. Knowing that
the surgery had gone well helped to lift our spirits. At times, she was totally high on
pain meds; I suggested we watch mindless chick-fl icks and reruns of Saturday Night
Live. Together we laughed at the “El Nino” skit. I encouraged her to drink water and
try to eat something. I drilled her clinicians about her input and output, her vitals, and
her pain level. I wanted the best for her and would be her advocate all of the way.
The daughter had become the parent.
On the third day of my mother’s hospital stay, Dr. Kohl came by and mentioned
that Dr. Andrews was out ill. Dr. Kohl would manage her care from then on. In
private, my mom sarcastically mentioned that this would be fun; Dr. Kohl is known for
having the emotional depth of a frog. I realized what she meant, when he later poked
his head into her room to explain the lymph node path report. The door opened, a
head popped in, and he said, “Hey Franny, the nodes are clear. Good news, ehh?”
He then closed the door and left the two of us to work through the reality of what we
had just heard. I grabbed my mom’s hand and said, “You know what this means?
You’re going to get through this, Mom. I promise.”
It took me a few days to fully realize the meaning of Dr. Kohl’s words. As I
headed back to Colorado for my spring semester, I came to a realization. We were
one of the lucky families. Throughout this country, every day, families have clinicians
just like Dr. Kohl come into their rooms and explain that the lymph nodes show
cancerous infi ltrates. Their fi ght with cancer will be longer, harder, and riskier.
This past Monday, my mother explained to me that she has just completed round
fi ve of her eight post-surgery chemo treatments. With just one surgery left, there is
an end in sight. We have this phrase that she repeats throughout the years
whenever I mess up – “Nobody’s dying and nobody’s pregnant, it’ll be okay.” On
Monday, although she felt weak all over and had severe nausea, I joked with her that
although it may sometimes feel like it, “Nobody’s dying and nobody’s pregnant.” This
will all eventually come to an end and our lives will return to normal. This normal is an
improved state from that which was before, as we cherish our relationship and our
lives more than ever. •
Unseen [Ben Patterson]
PG 36
PG 37